Martin Chilvers: Postdoctorate in the Vegetable Seed Pathology program from December 2003-November 2004 Martin Chilvers grew up in Tasmania, Australia, where he received a B.S. degree in agriculture, with honors in plant pathology (1998), from the University of Tasmania. In 2003, Martin received a Ph.D. degree in plant pathology from the University of Tasmania under Drs. Frank Hay and Calum Wilson. His PhD dissertation was entitled "Epidemiology of Botrytis spp. associated with neck rot of onion in northern Tasmania, Australia". In December 2003, Martin took a research associate position at Washington State University co-supervised by Drs. Lindsey du Toit and Tobin Peever in Pullman, WA. The project was focused on development of a real-time quantitative PCR assay for detection of neck rot Botrytis spp. associated with onion seed. In early 2005, Martin began a position as research associate for Dr. Tobin Peever, working on various aspects of Ascochyta (Didymella) host specificity, epidemiology and genetics on chickpea.

Refereed publications:

Chilvers, M.I., du Toit L.J., Akamatsu, H., and Peever, T.L. 200X. A real-time, quantitative PCR seed assay for Botrytis spp. that cause neck rot of onion. Plant Disease: submitted August 2006.

Chilvers, M.I., and du Toit L.J. 2006. Detection and identification of Botrytis species associated with neck rot, scape blight, and umbel blight of onion. Plant Health Progress: in press.

Hernandez-Bello, M.A., Chilvers, M.I., Akamatsu, H., and Peever, T.L. 2006. Host specificity of Ascochyta species infecting legumes of the Viciae and Cicerae tribes and pathogenicity of an interspecific hybrid. Phytopathology: in press.

Chilvers, M.I., Hay, F.S., Hills, J., Dennis, J.J.C., and Wilson, C.R. 2006. Influence of benzimidazole fungicides on incidence of Botrytis allii infection of onion leaves and subsequent incidence of onion neck rot in storage in Tasmania, Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture: in press.

Cherif, M., Chilvers, M.I., Akamatsu, H., Kaiser, W.J., and Peever, T.L. 2006. Cloning of the mating type locus from Ascochyta lentis (teleomorph: Didymella lentis) and development of a multiplex PCR mating assay for Ascochyta species. Current Genetics 50:203-215.

Chilvers, M.I., Pethybridge, S.J. and Hay, F.S. 2004. Characterisation of Botrytis species associated with neck rot of onion in Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology 33:29-32.

Chilvers, M.I., Hay, F.S. and Wilson, C.R. 2004. Survey for Botrytis species associated with onion bulb rot in northern Tasmania, Australia. Australasian Plant Pathology 33:419-422.